Education finds success with all abilities

April is Autism awareness month. Children on the autism spectrum vary greatly in ability, from severely challenged to very bright. Affecting as many as 1 in 166 children, social and communication difficulties characterize this developmental disorder.

Autism affects more boys than girls. While the exact cause is unknown, there seems to be a strong genetic component. Autism is one of the disabilities specifically defined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the federal legislation under which children with disabilities receive special education and related services. Early identification and intervention is important. While there is no cure, many interventions are successful in helping these children to acquire functional skills. No one approach works for any child, and programs must be individualized to meet each student’s unique needs. Children with autism benefit from a consistent, structured environment with visual supports and behavioral strategies. It is important to have opportunities to engage with peers and develop strong relationships between home and school.

During my career as a special educator, I have had the opportunity to work with many children who experience autism. Each is as different as they are alike. Early in my career, I read everything I could get my hands on about this disability and was overwhelmed by many treatment options available to families and educators. In addition to educational interventions, there are many dietary and other therapies promoted. Since most of us spend more time reading the headlines of supermarket tabloids than reading scientific journals, it is difficult to discern good research from hype. Some treatments proclaimed as cures are ineffective, or even dangerous. Much research is needed in this area. Increased awareness, early identification and intervention are creating significantly better outcomes for children on the autism spectrum.

Through the years, my students learned to read and walk in the halls appropriately. As educators, we tend to be focused on this type of learning. However, I have come to realize that for these students there was greater cause for celebration when they sang in the Mother’s Day program or played tag on the playground. For a first-grader, you know you have truly achieved inclusion when a student with a disability receives an invitation to a birthday party that the whole class was not invited to. It is so exciting to watch a student play basketball and learn to snowboard. I attribute these successes to the hard work of many people that make up a team, including their fellow students, parents and siblings, classroom teachers, teaching assistants, speech language therapists and occupational therapists.

Kelly Lytle is a special education teacher for the Mat-Su Borough School District. The views expressed in Chalk Talk are those of the contributor and not necessarily those of the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District.